For this project I’m doing on the effectiveness of antidepressants I had an interview with a professor at a local university who has done a lot of research on antidepressants. I asked her how effective she thought antidepressants are and she gave me this answer. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<o:p></o:p>
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I would say that antidepressants are not very effective at all. Antidepressants are often looked upon as a “magic bullet” that cures a chemical imbalance in the brain however there has been no concrete evidence to support this hypothesis that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. I think that a better way of understanding how they work is that they are psychoactive drugs that mask people’s true feelings and creates a drug induced state. These drugs make people feel emotionally and physically different which can affect their mental condition. Antidepressants in my view do more harm than good and simply mask the problem instead of curing it. There hasn’t been enough evidence proving that antidepressants actually cure depression and recent studies have shown that antidepressants are hardly better than a placebo
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Later on, she went onto say that she thinks antidepressants do not work with anyone and that they should never be prescribed. <o:p></o:p>
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Her view seemed slightly extreme to me but as I’ve never taken antidepressants I wanted other people’s opinion on this- do you agree/ disagree with her? How effective are antidepressants?<o:p></o:p>
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
Just because you can't see the stars doesn't mean they aren't there
well its true that not al ADs work but some do. they effect different people differnly off course
doctors all have different thoughts on drugs for MH - some will be very reluctant to prescribe them while other think they are the magic cure and give them out to everyone.
its all about personal experiences though.
perhaps as those people that are using them about hteir thoughts as they will be more accurate
I'm not surprised they said that, there is a growing movement within the field of psychiatric and psychological medicine these days that are staunchly against anti depressants in all but the most severe cases.
The professor who lectures in psychiatric medicine at my university and his team have published numerous papers which show anti depressants to be little more effective than placebos in all but very severe cases. And Professor Kirsch was on the national UK news a year or so ago talking about it. He's well respected in the field having published 8 books and well over 175 peer reviewed scientific journal submissions on the placebo effect and antidepressants.
If you ask around the many universities in the country, you'll find growing opposition to antidepressants.
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I think that part of the issue is that depression has many causes, which are not fully understood, and I would imagine that much of it is caused by several factors. In addition the term depression covers a very wide range of mental health states. This means that measuring the efficacy of anti-depressants is tricky.
Some therapists are against medication, as it can prevent patients from really getting in touch with important emotions, which means that processing them is much harder. On the other hand, most of those therapists recognise that many patients need the support of medication just to be able to get out of bed and into their therapy session.
The recent research which placed anti-depressants on a par with placebo was purely with regard to mild depression (which shouldn't really be medicated anyhow). In moderate to severe depression anti-depressants do perform well against placebos in clinical trials.
This.
'Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.'
['There is only one thing we say to death. Not today'.']
'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.’ – Oscar Wilde
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Drugs do work for some people. I know that for my dad, the anti-ds that he was on really worked wonders for him.
But, they aren't for everybody, and they shouldn't be perceived as some sort of magic cure. Depression - as with any illness - relies on a huge amount of your own personal effort at recovery, and I think that that's something people underestimate.
But anti-depressants can and do work, in a number of cases. Ideally, if medication were prescribed, it'd be alongside therapy - however, this is unfortunately not the case in a lot of situations.
xx
I find this discussion quite interesting. I have heard many negative things about AD's in the past. For me, they worked on and off with the off being quite bad at times, until I increased the dose to my most recent dosage. It's made a world of a difference for me. I may get slightly depressed every now and again and have suicidal thoughts... But I do not wish to act on them any more, and the intrusive thoughts are much less.
All that being said, sometimes the lack of side effects makes me wonder how my body is using them or if they're not. Either way, I’m incredibly grateful for them in my situation, but can definitely see how not every situation is the right choice for them.
And I think a combination of meds and therapy is better than just meds alone. But that's just my thoughts.
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The research which everybody is so up-in-arms about lately basically says that unless you are severely, deeply depressed, antidepressants don't work any better than placebos. I think there's a key point there. You DO NOT need an antidepressant unless you suffer from a severe form of clinical depression. Most people with depression need therapy, exercise, good diet, a support group etc.
But there are some of us who do all the right things, but they have no effect. Or we're just to goddamn sick to do the things we should. Now, a lot of studies indicate that antidepressants only have a small effect, which is not significant enough to warrant their use. But there's a big flaw in that argument. For people who are really severely depressed, a small improvement is VERY significant. It can be the difference between being completely incapacitated, and being able to engage in therapy, being able to go for a long walk every day.
Depression is often a downward spiral of negative thoughts, feelings and behaviour. That's how it gets so severe so fast for some. But the good news is that recovery can be an upward spiral. You take meds, you feel a bit better, so you have the energy to take a walk, so you feel a bit better, so you manage to go to work, so you feel a sense of accomplishment, so you feel a bit better, etc. It takes time but medication can be the first step on a VERY important upward climb.
I have a lot of bad experiences with medication.
It seems for me that psycatrists i saw relied upon it heavily. Not just in my case but that of other patients. At times even the nurses that looked after me joked i was 'rattling' as i was on that much.
However when they did find one that worked it helped so much. However i agree medication alone will not be a magic cure - recovery involves a lot of hard work and other therapies. I dont think medication should be handed out as much as it is.
xxx
After all this has passed, i still will remain
After i've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain
I have a question... if there is so much evidence that antidepressants do not work, and many of the psychiatric field are against them... then why the hell are doctors easily (or that's what it appeared to me and many others in the psychiatric ward) able to forcibly inject unwilling patients with psychotropic medication such as antidepressants?
Depression is often a downward spiral of negative thoughts, feelings and behaviour. That's how it gets so severe so fast for some. But the good news is that recovery can be an upward spiral. You take meds, you feel a bit better, so you have the energy to take a walk, so you feel a bit better, so you manage to go to work, so you feel a sense of accomplishment, so you feel a bit better, etc. It takes time but medication can be the first step on a VERY important upward climb.
i agree with this
'the pain you feel is real,
you're not asleep,
but its a nightmare,
but you cant wake up anytime.'
I think they work for some people and don't work for others. I don't think it's as clear cut as "they don't work for anybody" 'cause that is obviously untrue.
I'm also curious as to what she's a professor of...
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
She's a professor of psychiatry. I think what she meant was that antidepressants don't cure depression for anyone they alter your emotions which generally causes more harm than good which is why she doesn't think they should be prescribed. Well at least that was my understanding of what she said.
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?
Just because you can't see the stars doesn't mean they aren't there
they probably don't 'cure' in the way that antibiotics can 'cure' an illness i.e. remove the root cause. But from what I've heard/read they can relieve symptoms and therefore make it possible to function and therefore do something about the root cause. Or for some people I guess it's a matter of staying on meds long-term...
But no-one would say diabetics shouldn't be given insulin because it doesn't 'cure' diabetes, the usefulness of a drug isn't always about whether it makes a 'cure' but whether it improves length and quality of life
I thought anti-depressants were to help control the chemicals in your brain and stabilise them?
That's probably partly correct. The truth is that we don't know all that much about the neuropathology of depression, but the most widely-believed theory at the moment is that the symptoms of depression are caused by a deficiency in the amount of one or more of these neurotransmitters: serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine.
Neurons communicate with one another by producing neurotransmitters which electrochemically stimulate the other neuron/s. The body has mechanisms in place which then get rid of those neurotransmitters, because otherwise all your neurons would just be constantly stimulated and wouldn't be able to do their jobs. Some neurotransmitters are reabsorbed back into the neuron they came from. Others are broken down or deactivated by enzymes.
Most anti-depressants are believed to work by reducing the rate at which one or more of the three mentioned neurotransmitters are reabsorbed. That means that your brain cells are allowed to 'soak' in them for longer, which gives them a better chance of responding. MAOI's are different, they inhibit one of the enzymes which break down serotonin and noradrenaline.
But anti-depressants are not highly effective for a long time because the brain gets used to them, and it simply adjusts itself. That's why they can work really well for a while then stop working altogether. That's why therapy is so important, because it teaches you strategies to naturally improve your mood.
For example, writing down three things you are truly grateful for has been shown to naturally increase the amount of serotonin in the brain. In a study involving over a thousand people, those who did that every day for 6 weeks had more optimism, fewer physical ailments, more progress on personal goals, more determination and enthusiasm, fewer negative mental states, more philanthropy, lower rates of cardiovascular disease, decreased blood pressure AND better sleep!
The point is, antidepressants give you the space you need to find all the natural ways that will eventually get you well and help you stay that way.
s a r a h
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"Between two worlds life hovers like a star,
twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge."
- Lord Byron
I like this information. I've always believed that within my treatment the depression has always been environmental and situational rather than a chemical imbalance. Artificially being made happy isn't an idea I like.
If they are absolutely necessary (person is catatonically depressed) then sure, a months worth or so to boost them up until they are able to practically and therapeutically work on what's making them unhappy.
I like holistic treatments.
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